Two Years On: Legs
by edwalk86
Summary: Set two years on from the current anime, see where the characters of Naruto are now. This is a repost of chapter 1 from a short series of stories I did. Sometimes fun, sometimes sad. Shika/Tema


This is a repost of Chapter 1 for my story Two Years On. I'm going to be posting the separate chapters in their own categories, after I do some revision on them. I'm doing this so I can apply a critical eye on my past work before starting a new story.

"Speaking current tense"

_"Speaking past tense"_

_Thinking current tense_

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

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Two Years On - Legs

_She's nice._

_Good face, fit body._

_Waist a bit small._

_Legs are... a bit flabby. Next._

Turning himself slightly on the bar stool, the man cast his eyes around the bar. The_ 'beauty'_ he was observing, was at the end of the bar. But, since she no longer held his interests, he needed something else to distract him.

_Hmmm... next, next, next, next, next. Well, hello there, tall, dark and feisty._

On the other side of the pub, in one of the booths, two women sat conversing over beer and dango. The first, the one with her back turned to him, had wild black locks that trailed down to just below the shoulder. Travelling downwards, her body was covered by, some weird dress, that had all these layers that looked like, bandages, maybe?

_Uh-oh, she spotted me. Better put on my best smile. Hmmm... she's looking at me weirdly. Is there something on my face?_

Quickly turning around to look in the mirror behind the bar, the man spots nothing out of the ordinary.

_Back to the ladies. Oh, she's turned back around. Well, on to the next one. Well, this one is a marked improvement. Hair pulled back with it exploding out the back. Nice, I like. Damn, I can't make out her body too well cause of the trenchcoat. But hello boys. Enjoying the freedom? She must be asking for trouble wearing a fishnet body suit like that._

Taking another sip of his drink, the man continued on his latest _'journey'_.

_Nice, very nice. Hips are a good size. Pity I can't see behind. Definitely a good choice in the wardrobe department. With that small skirt, her legs go on forever. Long, no fat. Very nice. Ooooh, she's looking at me. Hi there beautiful. Hmmm... now that I look at her, she looks familiar. Where have I seen her before?_

Thinking to himself, he fails to notice the latest two _'victims'_ of his inner musings getting up to leave. Ofcourse he snaps out of it in time to catch the view from behind, as the _'Trenchcoat Lady'_ walks out the door following her friend.

"Stop being a prude Kurenai, I think he's cute. Did you see the way he was staring at me?"

"Yes, I did. It's the same way he looked at me. And the girl at the bar. And every other girl who's been in that bar for the last 10 minutes."

"Hmmmm... keeping tabs on him are we? Well I can tell he liked what I had on show. Maybe I should go talk to him?"

"You'll do no such thing Anko!"

As he was watching, Kurenai dragged Anko the rest of the way out of the bar. What they didn't realise was that he had heard all that they had said, even though it was whispered and at the opposite end of the bar. Being a ninja had its perks. Being inebriated didn't. So, while he did hear one of them mention him being_ 'cute'_, he was having trouble remembering names.

_Damn, she was hot. And when her friend grabbed her, combination jutsu here I come!_ Smiling like a maniac, the man leaned back against the bar, one arm resting on the counter top, the other bringing his drink to his mouth. _What was her name again?_

Swivelling back around so he was facing the bar counter again, the man ordered another drink, his _'hazy'_ mind trying to grasp at the name that he only heard seconds ago.

"Are you sure he's in here Neji?"

"Oh, I'm quite sure."

Picking up on a familiar name, the man at the bar slowly turned his attention to the entrance. Entering were two people. One was Hyuuga Neji. As always he had that same expressionless face. His eyes were instantly on the man sitting at the bar. What caught the man's attention though, was not Neji, but the woman who entered the bar beside him.

_Well, hello, hello, hello. What do we have here? _

Now having spotted where Neji was looking, the woman beside him started walking up to the man at the bar.

_Not bad. Hair in two buns. Exotic. Nice face, fit body. Hips are good, and the legs, well, not as good as the last one, but good nonetheless. Hmmm... what was that last woman's name again?_

Walking towards the bar, the woman saw the man slowly scan her body from top to bottom. What made her raise an eyebrow though, was the way his gaze lingered on her legs a bit longer, then, he slowly twisted back around towards the bar, his chin resting on his hand as he stared off into space, completely ignoring her.

She quirked an eyebrow. _What the hell! _As she reached him she was shocked even more when she heard him talking to himself.

"What was her name again? The red eyed beauty was Kurenai, that I know. But she was… Akane?"

"Lee?"

"No. Ayame?"

"Lee?"

"No. Asahina?"

"Lee!"

"No, it was shorter than that. Ummm... Anko. Yes! That's it, Anko. Such gorgeous legs."

"Lee!"

Grabbing the man by the shoulders, the woman started shaking him, violently.

"LEE!"

...

"Oh, hi Tenten, when did you get here?"

Slowly releasing her grip on Lee's shoulders, Tenten watched Lee watch her with a questioning look on his face. _He did not just ask me that._ She watched him. He looked from her, to her legs, to Neji, to her legs again, then his face slowly came up to her. "Why don't you and Neji join me for a drink?"

An awestruck look came over Tenten's face. Then confusion. Then anger. The whole time Lee just grinned at her, his hand gently patting the empty bar stool beside him. Then he looked at her legs again. _Oh no he did not!_

Before Neji even had time to blink, Tenten's fist was sailing through the air. Lee swayed to the side. She missed. Reaching out, Lee grabbed Tenten's waist, making sure she didn't lose her balance.

"Now, now Ten-chan." Lee said in a singsong voice. "We can spar later if you want. Right now, me and my, friends, are enjoying a drink." Finished, Lee swayed slightly, a big grin on his face. Releasing his grip on her waist, but not before a blush appeared on her cheeks from the contact, Tenten grabbed the drink from his hand.

"Hey!"

"Now you listen here!" Tenten started to say as she fended off Lee's hands from reacquiring his drink. The very few patrons that were in the bar were now watching the trio with interest. "We've been chasing you all over Konoha for the last 3 weeks. From bar to bar. All of them you've been kicked out of. Sometimes with us in tow! Now Neji and I have been understanding. We've supported you, like you supported us. But this is getting ridiculous Lee! We've had enough! Enough!"

Placing the drink on the bar, Tenten took a deep breath. She knew this had to be done. Neji agreed. She just wished they'd gotten to him sooner. Well, time for the deathblow.

"Do you think Gai-sensei would be proud of what you've been doing? Of what you're doing now?" She watched his shoulders tense at their Sensei's name, his face filled with sorrow. "Do you think he'd be proud, knowing that one of his students' was honouring him by drinking himself into an early grave?"

And there it was. She watched the realisation dawn on his face, his shoulders dropping.

"I..."

"I know Lee, I know. But Gai-sensei is gone. No amount of drinking is going to change that fact. Or make it any easier to bear. The pain is horrible, I know. But it's not just you Lee. I'm hurting. Neji's hurting. You don't see us drinking ourselves stupid, do you?" Tenten watched his face rose up to look at hers. "You've got to stop this Lee. We'll help you, Neji and I. We'll bear the pain together. We'll bear it, as a team. We'll honour Gai-sensei the way he would've wanted us to."

Grabbing his hand, Tenten pulled Lee to his feet. He swayed slightly, then started to fall. Before his weight pushed her to the floor with him, Neji was at his side, helping him stand.

"Hey, Neji, when you'd get here?" Lee asked.

"I've been here the whole time." Neji replied, irritated.

"Thanks Neji. Help me get him outside, okay?" Tenten moved herself to Lee's other side, his body propped up between them.

"Yeah, thanks Neji, you're a real pal." Neji blanched when Lee breathed on him as he spoke.

"It's fine. Can we it out of here now? He smells bad enough without this place helping him."

"Yeah, let's get you out of here Lee. We'll get you sobered up, and then, training." Tenten said, a smile making its way onto her face.

As the trio made their way outside the bar, Lee looked up at the sky.

"Yeah, training." Smiling, Lee looked from Neji to Tenten. "Thanks guys. You're real friends."

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Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


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